Data sharing is required for research collaborations, but effective data transfer performance continues to be difficult to achieve. The NetSage Measurement and Analysis Framework can assist in understanding research data movement. It collects a broad set of monitoring data and builds performance Dashboards to visualize the data. Each Dashboard is specifically designed to address a well-defined analysis need of the stakeholders. This paper describes the design methodology, the resulting architecture, the development approach and lessons learned, and a set of discoveries that NetSage Dashboards made possible.

National research and education networks (NRENs), such as ESnet, GéANT, and RNP, currently promote the employment of dynamic circuit networks (DCNs) to improve scientific communications beyond the capabilities of today's Internet. In spite of their alleged benefits to materialize user-initiated, ad hoc dedicated end-to-end circuits for high-demanding applications, DCNs also pose important challenges. Two examples are dealing with the end-user's lack of ability or willingness to understand low-level technicalities of virtual circuit establishment, and accommodating NRENs' local policies throughout the life-cycle of DCN. In this article, we seek to improve the usability of DCN services with a focus on the inexperienced end-user and the skilled network operator alike. We introduce MEICAN, a platform to manage the life-cycle of DCN from definition to provisioning of virtual circuits. We also present a case study of inter-domain circuit reservation with mixed manual and automated policy checking, and discuss lessons learned, relevant challenges, and open issues still to be overcome.